This week in my Homemade Vanilla post, I referenced a list I affectionately call Worth It, Not Worth It. I developed this list during the Ina In A Year project where I made from scratch, for the first time, many items that I had previously only purchased.
If a homemade item struck as me as completely worth every ounce of effort, resulting in a finished product that was transcendent in some way, then it was Worth It.
If after putting forth effort to make an item from scratch only to be left with a product that was no better than what I could pick up at the store, then it was Not Worth It.
Homemade Vanilla was literally at the top of my original Not Worth It list because high-quality vanilla extract is readily available, and the homemade stuff is just as good as what I can find at the store.
I ate my words this week and shared how I have been making my own vanilla extract at home, not because the finished product is better, but because I like watching the jar of vodka and vanilla beans slowly transform on my counter. Watching vanilla extract develop little bit by little bit is a small joy, a tender wonder, and the process is Worth It, even if the finished product technically is not.
I penned this original list over two years ago. Each item has a story behind it, and reading this list feels like a chronicling of joys and frustrations.
